Railway signaling mechanism.



Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

He ry Ho es cl-mn MM/memo:

THE NORRIS PITIRS 00-. PHOTO-Lima. WASHINOYDN, D C.

, UNITEDSTATESPATENT I HEnnYanonscHEn, or oMAiIA, NEBRASKA, issmma To nonscnniv MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, or OMAHA, NEBRASKA, A CORPORATION OF NEBRASKA.

' simple, durable and inexpensively main 1,111,257. Original application filed. April 3, 1906,

To all whom it may concern y Be it known that I, HENRY A. HonsoHEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new "and useful Improvements Railwayf class shown in my copending applicatiom filed April 3, 1906, Serial No. 309,706,,and of which the present application is division. It is the object of my invention to provide tained mechanism by which a plurality of signal-actuating instruments, located at different positions and-operating independ: ently of each other,may be connectedin a a single line-circuit with a station or stations, and 'thQ'OPGI'QtIOII of. each of theseveral 1nstruments indicated atthe stations.

A further object ofmy invention is to provide means for reducingthe resistance in the line-circuit, and for protecting the genera:

tors from injury by lightningor other for eign currents in theline-circuit.

A further object of my invention is toprovide'means by which, of theelectrical impulses produced by a magneto generator at any point in the line-cir cuit, unidirectional impulses only will becaused in the line-circuit, so that polarized indicating instruments may be employed at the stations. In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a mechanism embodying my invention, "Fig. 2 is a view of one of the generatorsat' the beginningof the actuation thereof, Fig. '3 is a similar view at a further stage the operation thereof, and Fig. 4:.iS a similar view showing the same near the conclusion of the operation.

'In the construction of my mechanism I,

employ a simple form of magneto-electric "generator, comprising U-shaped permanent magnets 1, coil-cores 2 extending from the poles of the magnets, coils 3 disposed around the said cores, and an armature 4 pivoted at one end and arranged so as tobe normally in Specification of Letters'Patent.

Serial No. 309,706. Dividedand 1912. Serial'Nol 7,1832%,

' RAiLWAY sIeNAnrnd'MEonANrsi/L Patented Sept. 22, 1914. this application filed September 3',

engagement with the ends of'the coil-cores.

The coll-cores and the' armature are, of

course, made of paramagnetic material such as-soft-iron, so that there is a complete magnetic circuit when the armature is in normal position. l

The signal-actuating mechanism described inmy application before referred to, and in connection with which the indicating mechanism herein considered is employed, has a shaft 5 which revolves during the operation of the mechanism. On said shaft is a toothed wheel 6, and the magneto-electric generator is positioned so'that the teeth on said wheel 6 may engage the armature l to periodically pull the. same away from the "pole-pieces or coil-cores which it normally engages.

Near the end of the armature 4c ad acent to thQ'WhGGl 61s a contact spring 7 which engages a contact 8 when thearmature is in normal position. The coils 3 are connected in a l ne-clrcuit formed through the wires 9 and 10. The wire 9 1s also connected with the contact 8and the wire lO'is connected with the armature 4: so that when the spring 7 and contact 8 are in engagement the coils 3 are shuntedthrough the armature. The

toothed wheel 6 is turned in the direction, relative to the armature, indicated by the arrows in the several figures.- As each tooth of the wheel approaches the armature it first engages the spring 7 and moves it out of en gagement with the contact8, thus breaking oropening the shunt-circuit, as shown in Fig. 2. As the movement of the wheel con- 'tinues'the armature is pushed away from the magnet-pole,, as shownin Fig: 3, thus mak ing a gap 1n the magnetic circuit and causing a rapid decrease in the magnetic flux through the coils, so that an electrical im- "pulse is generated therein, and said impulse will pass through the wires 9 and lO. the movement of the wheel continues it releases the over the line-circuit formed contact-spring? which returns to engagement with the contact 8, as shown in Flg. 4E, and thus closes the shunt-circuit. Then, when the armature is released and returns to engagementwith the poles, the electrical impulse generated in the coils by the increase of the magnetic flux will pass almost exclusively throughthe low-resistance shuntcircuit instead of going to the line-circuit.

The teeth of the wheel 6 may be spaced so the particular device that produced the1n.

In Fig. l I have shown several of the instruments, as at A, B and C, connected in series with each other and the stations M and N. In practice the instruments might be located at any desired distance from each other and from the stations, and each i11 strument might be operated by signal-actuating mechanism of the kind before men tioned. Any suitable number of the instruments may be connected in the same linecircuittand the toothed Wheels 6 provided with differently spaced teeth so that the operation of each instrument will cause a signal different from the others. i

It will be obvious that. the impulses produced by each instrument of the series will pass almost wholly through the shunt-circuits of the other instruments instead of through the coils thereof, theshunt-circuits thus enabling a number of the instruments to be placed in series in the same line-circuit without causing undue resistance therein.

The shunt-circuits also serve to prevent the generator-coils being burned out or otherwise injured by lightning, or by-electrical currents from other Wires which might become crossed with the wires of the line-circuit.

As a result of the opening and closing of the shunt-circuits in the manner described,

the operation of each instrument causes in the line-circuit current-impulses"that are, of

appreciable strength in one direction only. For while the impulses produced in the'generator-coils by the movements of the armas ture away from and toward the poles are altenate in direction, the impulses causedby the latter vmovements pass, in appreciable amount, through the shunt-circuit only; Thus, by employing polarized receiving instruments at the stations, the-operation of two instruments in the same line -circuit might be differentiated by arranging them so asto produce impulses-of opposite polar.- ity in said line-circuit.

,Now, having described my invention, what Copies of this patent may be obtaizierl'for I claim and desire to secure by Letters 'Pat entis: 1. In a device ofthe class described, an actuating-shaft, a toothed wheel carriedby the shaft, an armature engageable' by the toothed wheel, means formingia magnetic circuit through the armature, coilswound upon a partofthe magnetic circuit, a linecircuit connected with the coils,a shunt-cir 'cuit connected withthe coils, and a contact carried bythe armature and controlling the shunt-circuit. s i

2'; The combinationwith actuating mech anism, of a toothed wheel driven by the actuating mechanisnna magneto-electric generator having coils, and providedwith an armature arranged for reciprocating movfement, a line-circuit connected through the coils, a shunt-circuit connected 'in parallel ture in one direction andfor closing the ture in the otherndirection. 1

3; The combinationwith a series of actu 1 ating devices, of a-ma'gneto-electrical generator for each actuating device,vsaid generators each having coils and an armature, a line-circuit vconnected through the coils-of coils of each generator, means driven by Z each actuating device forimoving the arma- 3 ture of the respective generator, and means controlling the shunt-circuits and operated by the respective armature-moving means.

1. The combination with a magneto-elem trical generator having coils, and an arma ture arranged for reciprocating movement, of means for actuating said armature, Fa main circuit through the coils, a shunt-cirshunt-circuit and controlled by the armature actuating :means, whereby the, shunt-circuit in one direction and ;is open during the 5. direction.- Y

a In. testimony-whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name inthe presence of two *witnesse's." I a -HENRY A. HOESGHEN. ;Witnesses:

JD. O. 'BARNELL,

H. P RYNER;

five cents eachyby addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington; D.-'G'.- r

with the coils, and means for opening said shunt-c1rcu1t during movement of the armashunt-circuit during movement vof the armaall' the generators, a shunt-circuitfor the "cuit for the coils, and means [controlling the is closed "during movement ofthe armature Emoxrement of the armaturein the opposite" 

